Mr. Quo Tai-chi Says Strong China is Greatest Potentiality for World Prosperity rox Our Ow TIPE China Association eld their annust London, Dec. 18. banquet last night at Grosvenor House when a large number of members assem"led. The intention of the evening was to be rather friendly than formal, hence the absence of a long list of official guests, the only two being the Chinese Minister and Dr. W.
Chen, Counsellor of the Chinese Legation.
Mr. Quo Tai-chi fully lived up 10 his now well-established reputation for making a good speech, good both in matter and delivery, and his allusions to the Nine-Power Treaty, and the opportunity which the Far East offers for wise statesmanship were generally felt to be very much to the point.
The only other speech beside Macdonogh were a few interesting, Beale. those of Mr, Quo and Sir George impromptu remarks by Mr. Louis Proposing Mr. Quo Tal-chi's health, Sir George Macdonogn said Skilled though Mr. Quo is in all the affairs with which he has to deal, T think it is doubtful whether hho could pass an examination in the of the China "Association. Could he, for example, tell us tae year of our birth? That most distin= squished year, Mr. Quo, was, T think Tam right in saying, the' year your birthday. also, 1889, 'In' fact, believe it is true to say that your earliest speech coincided with one of the earliest speeches of our Arst Chairman, Sir George Bowen. His was probably a little more articulate than yours, but have no reason suppose that it was any. more emphatic. Indeed, I am prepared to believe that your speech was the more emphatic of the two.
Our Association was formed for purposes which, considered collec tively, to-day sound rather forialdfable. ' It was formed, that is to say, to represent, express and—note th words—aive effect to the opinion of the British mercantile community in their political and commercial rel tions with the Chinese and Japanese, was formed, further, to promote and—again mark the word—pratect the trade, commerce, shipping snd manufactures of the' United King~ dom, India and the Colonies, with and in China, Hongkong and Japan. to consider all questions connected with such trade, commerce, shipping and manufactures, to promote or Oppose legislative and other measures affect Ing such trade, commerce, shipping fand manufactures, ete. All' of which, in. the light of existing circum. stances, may perhaps strike you as being Father a tall order.
However, our founders were vigorous minded Those Sterner Days We endeavour to follow in ther footsteps, but our path Is not quite fas easy as theirs was. Other people, besides ourselves, have learnt a little about the commercial game, For Instance, other people can now turn out very excellent cotton piece g20d8, Indeed, it is, I fear, an open secret that British' cotton piece goods not told quite the position which they once held, One hears rumoured that Japan has had tome~ thing to do with that, and shall not, I think, be giving anything away it T add that the development of Chinese cation mills shows China following in Japan's footsteps. More over, neither the Japanese Govern ment, nor, Sir, your Government seem to be quite as impressed as they. once were when the China Association gives expression. to ite views. Our. frowns—and we do, sometimes, frown not taken' quite But the China Association interests Hiself in matters other than It interests itself, for instance, in the encouragement of Chinese students coming to this country. In conjunc~ tion with the Federation of British Industries it has recently established scholarship scheme which has received the blessing—in the con crete form of financial assistance—ot the Universities' China Committee, Tt interests itself, too, in the promotion Of the study of the Chinese language, 'A good many years ago it established school, and the school is now part and parcel of the Schoo! of Oriental Studies, and so part and parcel of the London University.
Indeed, I think I may say that the older the Association gets, and the more experience it accumulates, the more convinced it feels of the desir ability of blending its commercial Interest in China with interes: in her cultural and social affairs, Chinese Minister's Speech Mr. Quo sala—Mr. President ang Gentlemen, By Association for the second time upon your kind invitation T may {have flouted a Chinese proverb which is a warning unto the too-ready guest. [One's first presence may be olden, but, as the Chinese saying goes. "To Jcome again is not worth a ha'penny." Tam happy, however. to inter from ithe President's kind remarks and your cordial reception that even a JChinese proverb may be proved fallible.
The President has just spoken, you will allow me to observe, in exactly the right key of friendly and fruitful Joo-operation between our two counftrles—that there are bound to be [possible influences at work in promot. Ing understanding and the sense of martial interests.
If, as the President has said. your "frowns" are not taken quite as seri-Jously as they once were. I may add that on the other hand your friendliness Is no longer regarded by my Jeountrymen as merely formal, but as cordial and ce-operative. We Chi-Inese have discovered that the "rough islanders" are not completely locked away in their imputed invincible reticence, and 1 think T may assume that you'have made sure that we "Celestials" are not, after all, a baltlingly inscrutable and mysterious race, 8 Used to be imputed to us. We find that our temperaments as well Jas our interests have a good deal in common. An occasion like to-night's brings out the happy truth of this-
What You Can 'The President has kindly invited [me to offer suggestions as to what the China Association can' do to help along Anglo-Chinese relations, and he has done this with so much charm. {in 50. personal a way. making mem member of the family party, and in fact almost giving me a birthday party, that his compliment, becomes command. It is rather a "tall order" for "me to hold forth on so large a subject. Yet you will help me. Tam sure, to consider one point that occurs to me now in connection with ithe President's idea. I have been gratified to note in' recent debates in both Houses of Parliament and also in speeches outside, notably in the speech of General Smuits, an im= proved sense of all that Far Eastern affairs mean to Europe, and especially to Great Britain, in both politics and business. T should regard it as an Inestimable service to China and to JAnglo-Chinese mutual interests if the. China Association could take a ead in giving the general British Jpublic a livelier sense of China. think' we are agreed that there can great advantages both ways by spreading informed opinion in this jeountry. I want the knowledge of Jour serious reconstructional progress In China year by year to be the Jcommon mental property of all in this {sland who think about their country {in connection with the Far East. I Jam not suggesting that you each and I shall get out the hustings and hold forth. Such a spectacle would make as well as all of you turn a little pale in the mere prospect. But 1 know that under impetus from the China Association such a flow of informed opinion could permeate leven beyond the hustings. into the reading and thinking by the cottage fkitehen-fire as well as in the scholar's study and the city office. This would Met be propaganda. T have finelination "to think in any such terms. It is practical insight.
Next after that. and in direct, con nection with it, T should like to know that the influence of the China Asso ciation is active in inculcating its lown belief that a strong China is the the greatest potentially for world prosperity. I think we all foresee that we must get away from the ex. leesses of economic nationalism, and lot merely nationalistic financing. and sJroust make a collective attack {the economic problem. Then. the Imarket of China, developed unde: Jour present programme to increase the individual buying capacity of leach and every Chinese citizen, is ithe cornerstone for world recovery.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.